CHATTER: Emily Payne (2013) When a young man is called to return to his family in Australia after having spent

a number of years living with the Shuar people of Ecuador, he comes to realise that where he was once a revered as a healer and shaman, back home he is seen as mentally ill. Jeremy’s return to Australia sees that behaviours and practices he has come accustomed to are considered the realm of the insane. Imprisoned in acute care settings, he comes to question the last decade of his life’s spiritual learning’s. Jeremy begins to wonder and talk of the tsentsak, a magical dart that he feels a Shuar enemy has speared him with. Is Jeremy experiencing the realm of spiritual confrontation or has he really lost his way and his mind. CHATTER will appeal to a wide audience, those who seek to understand the cultural differences involving the predicators of mental illness and who are seeking alternative explanations as to distinctions between societies and the way mental health is approached. Chatter will offer the inquisitive audiences opportunity to explore cultural practices from the Indigenous headwaters of the Maranon River (the Shuar people). The film will be set against the backdrop of Ecuador and Melbourne, Australia, between the natural environment of Indigenous Peoples and the bustle of inner city Melbourne. Exploration of the hunting times in Ecuador as the time that men and women have intercourse, and the relevance of the hunt and procreation to the spiritual development of the individual and the community will sit juxtapose with the sterile environment, the gapping wound of acute care psychiatric facilities in Australia. Once returning to Melbourne Jeremy is never quite certain as to whether the voices and chatter in his head are remnants of the time he spent absorbed into intriguing cultures of the shamanic path. He meets and falls in love with a woman who will support him to discover his truth. He calls upon the mother goddess of the earth, Nungui to heal him and take him home, with his journey culminating in a further entrenchment into the Western psychiatric model of ‘well-being’. Chatter is written in a similar visual style to ‘Tsotsi’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ as scenes change across cultures and times. The narrative will combine English and translated Shuar Chicham. It will raise awareness around mental health issues and also around endangered languages and cultures. PITCH SUMMARY: Chatter Logline: When a young man is called to return to his family in Australia after having spent a number of years living with the Shuar people of Ecuador, he

50. Slumdog Millionaire. Target Audience: 18+ . interested in human rights issues and Indigenous culture. Silver Linings Playbook. Genre: Drama with upbeat moments Actors: Glenn McMillan (Australian actor and lawyer from Brazil) Meets girlfriend in Melbourne: Actress: Unknown Similar films: A beautiful mind.
. back home he is seen as mentally ill. Versatility: can be translated to stageScreening: Art house cinema (as basis).comes to realise that where he was once a revered as a healer and shaman.